Brooklyn Grand Cru

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Brooklyn, New York USA

Draught at Stockholm Beer Festival. Hazy golden, creamy head. Almondy fruity nose. Soft and caramelly. Medium sweet with gentle, rounded mouthfeel. Delicious seemless flavour of custard, estery bubblegum and marzipan. Mildly warming.

(Draught) Pours a cloudy yellow body with a small off-white head. Aroma of orange, banana, citrus, wheat, clove, and coriander. Flavor of toasted malt, banana, wheat, bubble gum, apricot, and clove.

On tap. Poured a medium and hazy golden color with a smaler sized white head. Aromas of fruitiness (bananas), citrus, and some spiciness. Tastes of same fruitiness (applies, pears, and bananas), citrus, and spices. Lively body. Reminded me of a Tripel.

Objectively speaking: Authentic Belgian-style ale that was not as satisfying as anticipated.
I like: Well-integrated alcohol. Gentle wheatiness. Soft palate, reminiscent of a tripel all throughout with its pleasant noble hop background.
I dislike: Totally clear body. Smallish white ring. Heavy malt foundations fail to deliver the desired crispiness, this rapidly feels a bit heavy and the yeast heads towards banana purée territory, but luckily, the grassy, hay-like hops come into rescue to avoid excessive sweetness.

Draft… Cloudy golden ale with orange highlights and a small, creamy, white head. Fantastic retention. Fruity, breadsy, very spicy aroma provides notes of orange peel, clove and coriander. Full-bodied and lightly creamy with lively carbonation. Moderately sweet, spicy, yeasty flavor. Watery finish.

Growler from Bierkraft. Hazy pale golden colour topped by a thick fluffy/sticky white head. Aroma is quite rich and fruity. Soft banana and orange peel with a rich pale Belgian malt sweetness. Softly fruity with loads of banana and orange along with sweet bubble gum. They have a pretty tasty yeast, although it leaves the beer fairly sweet. Very aromatic with lots of sweet estery fruitiness (apple, pear, and banana). Light clove and allspice on the finish. It’s well-made and quite tasty.

Draft, BCTC 2008. Unfiltered and hazy golden yellow colored body with a white head. Wet, soft nose of wheat, yeast, hazy, light creamed fruit. Texture is chewy, viscous, heavy with a gritty soft of wheat character. Twangy flavor, heavy and strong on the palate, alcohol is noticeable, flavors are semi-sour lemon, gritty wheat germ, light sweetness, and a light note of some sugary, greenish hops.

Draft at Capone’s. Pours turbid deep gold with 1-finger white head. Nose is very fruity, with orange, fig, melon, honey, peach, spicy yeast, perfumy florals. Very complex aroma. The flavor is fruity at first, with apricot, peach, orange, giving way to spicy yeast, florals, and some earthy and peaty finishing notes. Very complex in flavor, with a rich, complex palate, I’m gonna go ahead and cal this an elite grand cru; certainly one of the 10 best examples I’ve ever tasted.